State society resources

Welcome to your hub for everything related to leading an effective state society. The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) is working to deliver all the information and resources state societies need to stay connected to one another and the Academy, and advocate for the specialty.

Below, you'll find a growing list of tools, resources, meetings, and events offered to state dermatology societies. For questions about any AADA tools and resources, email statesociety@aad.org.

Leadership workshop The leadership workshop is held at Annual Meeting in conjunction with the State Society Executives Conference. Previous workshops have included presentations from state society leaders or SSDTF members, as well as roundtable idea-sharing sessions on a variety of topics (e.g., advocacy, meetings, governance, etc.).

Networking reception This reception takes place immediately after the leadership workshop at the Academy’s Annual Meeting. The reception is open to society staff and leadership, including incoming officers and immediate past presidents.

State leadership breakfast The leadership breakfast takes place at Annual Meeting. The breakfast typically includes brief remarks from the president-elect, presentation of the Model State and Special Recognition Awards, and short presentations about interesting and innovative state society projects and programs.

State executives conference This conference for society executives and administrators takes place at Annual Meeting. Topics vary, but have included CME/MOC, policy updates, skin cancer screenings, payer issues, and grant funding.

Bylaws review Society bylaws can be reviewed upon request. Bylaws are usually reviewed by a SSDTF member and Academy staff. A conference call or meeting is then scheduled to outline any concerns, suggested revisions or items for consideration, and answer any questions.

Society member surveys Society surveys are another resource that we have offered, either as part of the leadership retreat planning or as a stand-alone tool. These are informal surveys and are usually done on the Academy’s Survey Monkey account. Survey topics can be customized based on a society’s needs; previous topics have included advocacy priorities, communication preferences, and opportunities for engagement.

AADA State Advocacy Grants This grant program provides assistance to state societies for the advancement of their health policy initiatives and can be used for state lobbying expenses. States can apply for funding, and applications are reviewed by the State Policy Committee and approved by the Government Affairs, Health Policy & Practice Council.

Model State Award (MSA) program The MSA program is overseen by the SSDTF and is designed to recognize outstanding society accomplishments and has expanded to include Special Recognition Awards (SRA). States can also use the criteria for this program to identify potential areas for development. A SSDTF work group revises the program criteria and reviews state applications. States that win the MSA or a SRA receive a society development grant from the Academy.

Complimentary mailing lists State societies are eligible to receive two complimentary mailing lists from the Academy each year.

Society update program The Academy will provide a speaker upon request for a state society’s annual meeting. Topics vary based on the society’s interests, but requests have included updates on state policy, health system reform, and payer issues.

State execs/admin listserv A listserv created to allow the Academy to share information with state society staff and to allow a forum for society staff to communicate with each other.